Kim Jong Un Video Game Hacked, Creators Claim

First announced in May 2014, Glorious Leader is a platformer where you control North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un. And just like the man it's based on, the game has been caught up in a hacking fiasco.

Having been pretty quiet since its reveal, the game moved to Kickstarter last month hoping to pull together the funds needed to finish it. A week later, though, the campaign was pulled, creators Moneyhorse Games saying they "were victims of a hack inspired by the attack on Sony".

The developer's full statement follows:

As many of you know, over the holidays we were victims of a hack inspired by the attack on Sony. The hackers destroyed data pertaining to Glorious Leader! and other projects we had in development and locked us out of our own computers and wesbite. The timing couldn't have been worse as it hampered our ability to attend to the Kickstarter project. We realise that we also made mistakes in our pledge levels and rewards. It is now evident that our funding goals will not be met, so we are cancelling our Kickstarter campaign.

This is not the first time we have been targeted because of Glorious Leader! Between the hacking and other threats, we think it is time to reevaluate our commitment to Glorious Leader! We thank our fans and supporters, and we are sorry to let you down.

Whether this is the end of the road for their attempts at getting more money or simply the end of the road for the game itself is unclear. Nor is it known how much of an impact the claimed hack had on the campaign compared to the referenced "mistakes" with pledges and rewards. We've contacted Moneyhorse for more details, and will update if we hear back.

As you can see here, there were plans to directly reference Sony (and The Interview) in the game. Not that the reported attack on this game is directly related to anything that went on with Sony; Moneyhorse said last month:

We need to address the website hack. We are sure that this is a hoax perpetrated by amateurs. We have NO reason to believe that this was done by the GOP or anyone affiliated with North Korea. It appears to be an opportunistic copycat, as we have been the target of hacking attempts in the past.

Pity. Who knows how the game would have played, but this poster Moneyhorse made for it was amazing.

Comments

This is either a brilliant case of life imitating art or a well conducted marketing ploy. The coincidences all mesh a little too well and the fact that they are "re-evaluating their commitment" to the game feels like they're fishing for a fan reaction. If they're telling the truth though then I hope the hacker is happy they have stifled someone's creativity.

Triple AAA games nailing the brief. Indie games surprising people out of nowhere, and expansions and patches that completely turn a game around. It's been a good year for games - now it's time for you to vote for your favourite.